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ESPN'S Mike Patrick to receive JU honor

The ESPN broadcaster will join four others in school's Hall of Fame.

ESPN broadcaster Mike Patrick and four former Jacksonville University student-athletes will be inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in a ceremony tonight at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.

The four student-athletes to be enshrined are Bill Jackson (baseball, soccer), John Petrakis (rowing), Tommy Swindell (football) and Monique Tubbs (track and field).

Patrick was the TV and radio announcer for JU basketball games from 1970 to 1974, the same time frame he served as sports director at WJXT TV-4.

"Professionally, it was the happiest time of my life," Patrick said. "I can't remember having more fun doing what I was doing. Play-by-play on the radio, especially for basketball, is the biggest challenge in the world. It was a thrill for me to try and bring a picture of what was going on so specifically for people who were listening to the Dolphins games."

Patrick joined a Washington, D.C. station as a weekend anchor in 1975 and seven years later took a position as an announcer with ESPN. He's done play-by-play on a number of different sports including NFL, college football, basketball and baseball games. For 19 years, Patrick was the play-by-play voice for the NFL Sunday night package on ESPN.

This is the second time Patrick has been nominated to a Hall of Fame, but tonight will be his first actual induction.